$1.25 Million Approved for SWGA Organizations

Press Release

A bill that includes over $1.25 million secured by Congressman Sanford Bishop for seventeen Second District organizations gained the approval of the powerful House Appropriations Committee yesterday. Each organization will use funding from the bill, the FY 2009 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill, to administer programs for at-risk, abused, and low-income children, the elderly and working families.

"This funding will touch the lives of the youngest and most vulnerable citizens in communities across the Second District," said Bishop, a member of the Appropriations Committee. "I am honored to have been able to help such outstanding organizations."

Overall, the $56.8 billion bill funds several key areas either not addressed or underfunded by the President's budget, including state and local law enforcement crime prevention grants and climate change research. The bill also rejects the President's $149 million cut to economic development assistance programs, and restores funding to $250 million, $1 million above its FY 2008 level - an important allocation that will spur economic growth in the midst of an ailing economy.

The full House of Representatives will consider the bill next month.

For a full summary of the bill, please see the House Appropriations Committee's website.

The following Second District projects were included in the FY 2009 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill approved yesterday by the House Appropriations Committee:

- Clarence and Maxine Owens Foundation - Bainbridge, GA - Outreach Services of Southwest
Georgia - After school program for at risk youth. - $75,000

- Calhoun County Family Connection - Edison, GA - To provide an opportunity for a new
program to partner "at-risk" youth with senior citizens - $75,000

- SOWEGA CASA, Inc.- Americus, GA - For the expansion of volunteer base though the
recruitment, training, and retention of volunteers to tutor and mentor youth in a part of rural
Southwest Georgia with extremely limited resources and an especially high population of
deprivation of neglected children - $75,000

- Twin Cedars Youth Services, Columbus, GA - To provide a safe haven for orphaned and needy
children, including residential treatment for girls who have or are at risk of being sexually
abused. - $75,000

- Graduation Kitchen Table Workshop/Crawford County Family Connection - Roberta, GA - At
risk youth after school program - DOJ/JJ - $75,000

- City of Albany, GA - Totally Teen Zone - At risk, gang prevention and after school program. -
$75,000

- Dooly County Community Enrichment Coalition/Family Connection - Vienna, GA - To provide
operational funds for Dooly County Family Resource Center, targeting at-risk youth. - $75,000

- Terrell County Family Connection - Dawson, GA - Funding for the Mothers on Mission for
Success program which aims to build character through a variety of activities including:
tutorial (monitoring academics) assistance; addressing parent/child conflict resolution,
alcohol, tobacco, and other substance abuse, self esteem building, career development,
HIV/AIDS awareness, and gang prevention. - $75,000

- Pataula Center for Children, Inc. - Blakely, GA - Child Advocacy Center will provide a safe place
for the evaluation of child sexual abuse or any case with the potential for prosecution. -
$75,000

- Chattahoochee County Family Connection - Cusseta, GA - Funding for support of their at-risk
youth after-school program. - $75,000

- Albany Area YMCA - Albany, GA - Support for youth programs and activities, targeted to
at-risk youth.- $75,000

- City of Marshallville, GA - After-school and summer youth development program designed to
develop positive self-esteem and job readiness skills for youth between ages 16-24. - $75,000

- Muscogee County Marshal's Office, Columbus, GA - Funding is requested for the Junior
Marshal Program, a mentoring program organized and sponsored by a local law enforcement
agency and designed to assist students in the areas of attitude, behavior, discipline and
community service. - $75,000

- Talbot County Family Connection - Talbotton, GA - Funding will provide academic and cultural
after school programs which will support approximately 150 at-risk rural high school
students. - $75,000

- Kenneth B. Walker Residential Home, Columbus, GA .- To provide a safe haven for at-risk
teenage males who have suffered from child abuse and neglect, as well as those released
from a juvenile detention facility. - $50,000

- City of Arlington, GA - Youth After School Program - Support for recreational activities for
at-risk youth after school. - $75,000

- Urban League of Greater Columbus, GA - Youth advocacy, education, employment, and
mentoring for at-risk youth. -$50,000

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